Trailer support beam



Dec- 13, 1960 F. H. KAYLER ETAL 2,953,990

TRAILER SUPPORT BEAM Filed Sept. 25, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 13, 1960 F, H KAYLER ETAL 2,963,990

TRAILER SUPPORT BEAM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1955 yfjzess: www

United States Patent Chico 2,963,990 Patented Dec. 13, 1960 TRAILER SUPPORT BEAM Frank H. Kayler, Alliance, Ohio, and Eugene G. Opsahl,

Park Forest, Ill., assignors to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, lll., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept, 23, 1955, Ser. No. 536,236

Claims. (Cl. 10S-368) This invention relates to railway conveyances for transporting highway trailers from city to city and more particularly to means for detachably securing trailers upon railway conveyances.

Briefly, the present invention contemplates the provision of a railway conveyance such as a flat car to receive and support a highway trailer for intercity movement. To facilitate movement of a trailer onto and oit of a at car, the car is positioned adjacent a loading platform or ramp, and the trailer is adapted to be moved by means of a conventional tractor along said platform or ramp onto or oi of the car.

After movement of a trailer onto a car, the tractor is disconnected from the trailer and removed from the car. 'Ihe rear wheels of the trailer are then engaged between sets of chock blocks secured to the car iioor; and the rear end of the trailer body is supported upon jacks. 'Ihe front end of the trailer body is also supported upon jacks which engage opposite ends of a support beam centrally connected to the trailer king pin. Tie down chains extend forwardly from the support beam to the car oor, and other tie down chains extend rearwardly from the trailer body to the car iloor.

An object of the invention is to provide simple means for detachably securing a highway trailer on a railway at car without the necessity of altering the structure of the trailer in any way, or otherwise specially adapting it for the purpose, and which can be applied to and removed from the trailer with a minimum of effort.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of attachment means adapted to be quickly applied without the use of special tools or skilled workmen to secure a trailer against movement relative to a flat car.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of trailer mounting and attachment means adapted to raise and rigidly support a trailer body above a car oor to remove the load from the trailer springs and thus prevent vertical movement of the trailer body relative to the car body.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an attachment means embodying a support beam provided with a socket to receive and engage the trailer king pin, the ends of the beam being provided with caps to receive the upper ends of jacks employed to lift and support the front end of the trailer body.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a support beam provided with a socket adapted to be detachably connected to a trailer king pin by merely moving the beam relative thereto.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a trailer support beam having a trailer king pin receiving socket formed with anges and shoulders adapted to engage and prevent accidental displacement of a king pin from the socket.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a trailer support beam provided with clevises for engagement by tie down chains.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the speciiication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view illustrating a highway trailer detachably secured on a at car by fastening means embodying features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of same;

Figure 3 is a top plan view illustrating the support beam provided for detachable engagement with a trailer king pin, only one-half of the beam being shown as it is symmetrical about its transverse center line;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of same;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 4, illustrating the support beam as applied to the underside of a trailer body with the king pin disposed within the socket provided in the beam;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view, corresponding to Figure 5, illustrating the support beam as suspended from the king pin during mounting or removal of the beam with respect to the king pin, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of Figure 6.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, a conventional highway trailer 2 is shown as mounted upon a railway Hat car 4 having steel side rails 6 6 bolted or otherwise secured to the floor 8 and/or the ear frame 9. The highway trailer is shown as comprising the usual body 10 adapted to be supported upon rear wheels 12 and a suitable landing gear 14. A king pin 16 projects downwardly from the forward end of the trailer body 19 for detachable engagement by a conventional lifth wheel of a highway trailer tractor.

'Ihe highway trailer 2 is engaged against movement relative to the iiat car by means including sets of chock blocks 18-18 mounted on the car oor 8 and inter- `connected by suitable tie rods (not shown) to engage front and rear sides of the wheels i2, the chock blocks being secured against movement along the oor by means of nails or the like. Tie down chains 20-20 and 22-22 are connected by any suitable means to the back end of the trailer body 10, the chains 2li-20 extending rearwardly and downwardly for attachment to the car oor 8, while the tie chains 22-22 diverge downwardly and rearwardly for attachment to their respective side rails 6 6. A pair of jacks I are provided to raise the back end of the trailer body V10 away from the car oor to reduce the load on the trailer springs and to prevent vertical oscillatory movement of the trailer body relative to the floor of the at car during movement of the latter along a rough track section.

The front end of the trailer body fl@ is supported by a beam structure 24 mounted at its ends upon a pair of jacks J to remove the weight of the trailer from the landing gear 14. The beam structure is shown as comprising a cast steel beam 2S of generally H section having upper and lower anges 30 and 32 interconnected by a center web 34. The upper medial portion of the beam is formed with an elongated socket 36 to receive the trailer king pin 16, the socket extending downwardly through the upper flange 30 and being defined by an annular side wall 37 and a bottom wall 3S.

As illustrated in Figure 5, the bottom wall 38 merges with the center web 34 and extends forwardly therefrom to merge with the lower end of the side wall 37. The rearward portion of the side wall 37' has its lower end provided with a retaining flange 39 which is generally U-shaped as viewed in top plan (see Figure 3) to provide parallel side portions 41-41 joined by a semicircular portion 42 for engagement within an annular 3 recessV 43' provided between the body 44 and head 46 of the trailer king pin 16.

Opposed locking recesses 47-47 are formed on the retaining flange 39 to receive diametrically opposed portions ofv theking pin -headA46,las-illustrated lin'Figures 6 and 7, whereby the lbeam 228 -is' adapted to be-supporte'd by and locked onto the king pin. The -lockingrecesses 47-47 have coplanar vdownwardly-facing support shoulders 48--48 which are inclined upwardly towardiithe front side Vof the beam, the shoulders 'merginggwith opposed arcuate surfaces 49-49-and coacting therewith to engage peripheral portions of the king pin `head 46 when the beam 28 is suspended thereon in anrin/c'lined plane, as illustrated Vin Figurer6. g

Webs 51-5-1 project forwardly from the central VVweb 34 and are eachfOrmed-With an aperture 52 to receive a pin 53 of a clevis 54. Webs -56-"S6`divergev forwardly and outboardly from oppositeend's-of thercen'tral `web 34 and arefeach formed with anfape'rture 57 to receive a pin 58 of a clevis 59. As illustrated in Figuresl and 2, tie down chains 984-98 and 99`99 are `.adapted to be connected to the clevises 54-54 and"59S9, respectively, the chainsY 98-98 extending downwardly for attachment to the car'floor 8, andthe chain's'99`499 extending downwardly and outboardly forz'attachmentV -to their respective side rails 6 6. p

Caps 61-61 are provided at opposite endsofpthebeam 28 to serve as seats to receive the upper ends of jacks l, each cap comprising a top wall 62 anda depending v`annular side wall 63. The caps merge Ywithandfdepend from the central web 34 and also merge'withthe ends of the lower ange 32. Each cap 61 is reinforced'by a rib 64 projecting rearwardly from Vthe central web V34 and downwardly from the upper llange V30.

Wood facings A66-66 are secured against ther-upper 'surface of the upper ange 30 by means of'bolts 67, the facings projecting upwardly above the upper end Vof the socket side wall 37 for abutting engagement-against the underside of the trailer body 10.

To mount the beam 28 upon the king pin 16, vthe beam is first raised vertically to position theking'pin within the forward end of the elongated socket 36; Vafterwhich, the beam is moved forwardly to dispose the retaining ange 39 within the king pin recessn 43. The beam1is then loweredto engage the king pin head'46 withinthe vopposed locking recesses 47-47, as illustrated in Figure '6, whereby the beam is'supported for 'rotational` mouve-l ment upon the king pin. Y

To remove the beam 28 'from the king kfront side of the beam is raised to cause the Vkingpinhead 46 to move out of the locking recesses. rl.`he `beam'is then moved rearwardly until the head 46 is idsengaged from the locking flange 39 to permit thebeam to fall byV gravity from the king pin. A

To secure a highway trailer iniixed position'upon. a railway at car, the rear wheels 12 are `,engagedbetween chock blocks 18 and the rear end of the trailer bodyY 10 is raised a short distancek by jacks I' to remoyesomeV of the trailer weight from the rear springs and togprevent Vmovement of the trailer body .toward `the car floorwduring movement of the car over rough track sections. n

After the rear end lof the trailer body' 10 is. connected to the car by the rear tie down'chains A20 Vand 22,` the beam 28 is mounted on the kingpin 16Yto engagethe head 46 in the opposed locking recesses47-.-47. 'I 'he front end of the trailer body .is then' supported by means of jacks J engaged'between.thecarfloorand the support beam caps.61-61, andthefront tie downchains '98 and 99 are connected to the clevises 54 and"59and to vthe car .oor and side rails, respectively. Y

From the foregoing it will be seen thatYthe-.trailer Ycan be secured Vin place on the railwaycarwithout in .any way altering the trailer. or, adapting itspecially forihis pin 1eme 2,963,990 i 'e f a. simple manipulation, and the jacks are brought into supporting position andthe tie down chains connected by similarly simple manipulations. The beam is adapted to use with conventional jacks and chains. Thus the beam, which is a simple device, constitutes the sole means specially made for securing the trailer.

We claim: e

l. An independent detachable beam for use in support ing on a railway hat. car a highwa'yttrailer having a depending king pinv With a head adjacentitslowen end, said beam being elongated and having intermediate its ends an opening largeenough vto receivethe king pin head and extending vertically therethrough to define a king pin receiving socket elongated in a direction transversely of the beam -and having an uninterrupted periphery which will permit entry of the king pin only by its vertical movement into the socket, said beam presenting within saidA socket at Yone end thereof an lintegral retaining ange projecting intothe socket -for purpose. 'The beam is fitted in placeon theking pin by 75 engagement with .the `king pin head uponthe lateral movement of the .beamrelative to the king pin-fatter the vertical entry of the king pin-finto thesocketlto retain the king pin within the lsocket and to permit Ythe beam to be suspended fromfthe king -Apin'duringapplication of the beam lto fthe trailer andto limit -upward movement of the trailer from the beam after application of the beam.

2. An independent detachable-beam,according `-to claim l, and including recess meansinvtheunderside of said flange for receiving and retainingan upper portion of said king pin head Whenthe beamis suspended from said king Vpin during application of Ythe beam -to `the trailer. F Y Y' 3. An independent detachable beam, according to claim 2, wherein said recess means present at'least'one downwardly facing surface-inthe underside of said angeen- Agageable with an upwardly facing surface of thekingpin, .and wherein said recess surface slopes upwardly lffthe `beam toward the end of the socket 'remote-'from' the 'flange vso that the force of gravity will -retain saidking pin head in said recess 'when the beamfis suspended from fthe king pin `L during applicationofthe .beam to the trailer, i

i 4. An,independentdetachable beam' for V.use in'supporting on a railwayl flat cara highwaytrailerhavinga 'depending king pin with a'headon its'lower endfsaid beam being elongated and havingV intermediate its .ends an opening extending vertically therethrough Vlarge enough toreceive theking pin head toidene a king pin receiving socket elongated ina direction' transverselyfof the beam and havingk an uninterrupted periphery which -will permit entry of the kingpin only by its verticalV movement into the socket,y said beampresentingan integral A 'ange projectinginto vthe socket for engagement withthe king pin head upon the lateral movement Vofithe beam .relative to the trailer after vertical Vmovement'of the king pin into the socket to support the beam fromih'etrailer .king pin during application of theY beam to' thetrailerr and to klirnit relative vertical movement betweenethevbeam Yand trailer after application 'of the beam yto Vthe trailer, said flange presenting a recess -in the v,underside thereof 'for receiving an upper portion10fthe'fkingfpinV `head during application of the;beam to the trailer;

5. An independent detachable beamefor use in supporting on a railway flat carY a highway trailer fhaving a wdepending king'pin` witha headon its Vlowerj end; said beam being elongated and having intermediate its'ends .an opening large enoughV to receive'the kll'g'pinextending vertically therethroughfto 'dene a kingpin receiving nsocket elongated in a directionV transversely of the'beam Aand having an uninterruptedperipheryV lwhich permit entry of the king pin only -byitsvertical movementfinto the socket, said beam presenting within theisoeket at one .end thereof anintegral horizontalflange-projecting -into 111.6 ASQket and defining a U-s'hapedslot opentowardthe other end of the socket and of -a lsize smaller than the diameter of the king pin head but large enough to permit entry of a portion of the king pin disposed above the head upon the lateral movement of the beam relative to the trailer after vertical movement of the king pin into the socket, said ange being engageable with the king pin head to support the beam from the trailer king pin during application of the beam to the trailer and to limit the upward movement of the trailer, said ange having in its underside a recess for receiving an upper portion of the king pin head while the beam is being supported by the king pin, said recess being deeper toward said other end of the socket so that said portion will be retained in said recess by force of gravity while the beam s being supported by the king pin head.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,664,224 Pinckney Mar. 27, 1928 1,769,688 Haseltine July 1, 1930 2,036,344 Menhall Apr. 7, 1936 2,099,288 Allen Nov. 16, 1937 2,159,479 Goodwin et al May 23, 1939 2,305,444 Pond Dec. 15, 1942 

